The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1887-10-19
A VERMIN EXTERMINAT0R,
a TALK WITH a MAN WHO HAS A
NOVEL OCCUPATION.


Making a Business Of Kidding Peo-
pies Houses Of Rats and Ver min
How He Works.
The cockroach killer is one Of the Gu
riosities of Chicago. Not on account of
his personal appearance, but of the nov-
city of his vocation. There are four or
FIVE persons who live by the death of
cockroaches, rats and mice, but the
best known is an old German, nearly 60
years of age, who has an office on Wash
ington street. \ reporter of the Inter-
Ocenn found the old gentleman the other
day in his place surrounded by the deadly
compounds he needs in his business
Lat all you want, It's rat poison" cor
daily said the old man, as the reporter
picked up box of paste. ''That stuff
in the red boxes is cockroach poison, and
the bug poison is in the yellow pack
ages"
''What is food for the reaches spoison
for the bugs, is lt!"
eyes. Bug poison won't kill cock
reaches, cockroach poison won't kill bugs,
and both of 'em won kill rats; rat paste
won't Kill them, because they won't
eat it.
Glow do you kill cockroaches2"
tWe blow 'em up with powder-not
the kind of powder that kills men,
though. See that funnel on the end Of
those bellows? Well, we put the pow
der in that, and then blow it through the
nozzle into the cracks and crevices where
he lives. He doesn't live long after. We
kill bugs the same way, using the other
powder"
''Pavs pretty well, doesn't it2'
ooh, fairly. Most of it is contract
work. We take contracts for cleaning
hotels, restaurants, stores, dwell n5
houses, public institutions, bakeries,
steamboats,, railroad sleeping cars or
coaches. etc., of bugs, reaches, water
bugs. moths or ants, forso much year"
'.How much:"
"That depends on the size and charac-
ter of the place To keep hotels clear is
worth from $40 to S100a year. We've
quit taking hotel contracts, because they
are unsatisfactory. The powder only
kills the bugs or reaches that touch or
eatit. Sometimes they hide in their holes
where the powder won't reach them, but
when they get hungry and come out the
powder fixes them. The trouble with
hotel peopleis that they won't obey in
structions, and close the rooms and not
sweep up the powder before twentyfour
hours have elapsed. They sweep it up
before we're out of the house fairly, and
then they howl because we didn't kill ell
the bugs"
'sYou said the bug and roach powders
were not poisonous, didn't you:''
! ',I'll show you" he said, taking gen.
erous pinch Of each kind, placing it on
his tongue and swallowing it. ''lt's not
poisonous to men," he continued, "but
it's because we don't breathe like bugs.
They breathe like we perspire-through
the pores. They have no lungs. The
powder gets into the pores and closes
them up, so they just die for want Of
breath. But good many people die for
the same reason, guess"
GLOW about restaurantS2'
They're good contracts, next to prl-
vate houses I've cleaned a number of
restaurants for over ten years. They are
worth from $40 to $40: depends on the
size; same way with saloons Don't
know why it is, but saloons and print
ing offices are the favolite domain Of the
cockroach Maybe there's something in
the coincidence. but mind you l don't
say they're carried from one to the 9th
er. Perhaps they're fond of pretzels and
pi."
''Do YOU make contracts and guaraR-
tee to keep private residences free from
rats, reaches and bedbugs for years"
why, bless you, that's the main part
of our business. We prefer private resi-
dences to any other class of buildings.
I've been in the business fifteen years,
and I've worked up an excellent trade.
I have Phil Armour's house, Judge Tut
hills, and all the finest houses on the
North, South and West sides. The roach
is no respccter of persons. He will in
wade the mansion of prince with as
much assurance and contentment as he
will the lowest hovel in the Italian
patch. ;"
What did you say you charged for
private houSes2"
well, say an average of $40 a year for
bugs and reaches. Rats are $40 extra >
''How many trips do you make to a
house in year2"
Usually one; rarely more than two.
Of course, 1 60 every time a bug or roach
shows his nose"
Suppose person doesn't wish to con-
tract for whole year. What do you
charge them
'sFor each bedroom, guaranteed for a
year. $50; if simply powder the room,
so cents"
(Which insect or vernin is hardest to
exterminate2"
1.-The moth. It gets into the lining OF
garments and is difficult to reach The
powde, will not destroy the nupn, even if
covered with powder, nor lien it matches.
bat the powder must be applied fresh to
the larva.
a new bug has made its appearance
in Chicago within the last two years.
We call it the sewer bug, because it
breeds in the sewers. and through them
gets into the houses. They are hard to kill,
and they destroy carpets, leather, and
clothing. They are species Of beetle, but
have no wings. This summer another
new bug has made its appearance in the
East. 1t has not reached Chicago yet.
The name of buffalo bug has been APP
,>l;oS "a II hccouSe II was discovered in